The Courage of One
by AdamLL
Summary: The capture of Rena for Garnef's plot.


Author's note: The capture of Rena for Garnef's plot. I don't own anything.

The Courage of One

She sat there trembling behind a pew. She was covered with blood. What should she do? She can't run because they are going to kill her and if she sits here they will eventually find her. The sound of her fellow brothers and sisters screams as they died still haunt her mind. She is breathing so hard she wonders how they haven't found her yet.

**Flashback**

Rena was walking back from picking apples with the children to make an apple pie later that night. It was a beautiful day out and the day was looking like it was going to be good. She started to open the door to the church when she heard a familiar voice.

"Rena!"

She turned around to see Julian. It always made her happy to see him.

"Oh Julian it is nice to see you again. It isn't very often we see each other anymore."

"I know sister Rena. It has been a long time. I have been busy lately with helping people rebuild from the damage of the war."

"That is so sweet of you Julian. I have been busy healing the sick and working to help the neighboring villages."

They walk in together and catch up on old times. Julian and Rena help the children make the apple pies and afterwards all the people of the church sit down for dinner. During the meal Rena introduces Julian to her apprentice Melissa.

"It is nice to meet you Melissa. I hope you learn well from Rena."

"I hope that I can be as good a healer as Rena someday. It is nice to meet you to Julian."

Just then a farmer from the neighboring village busts open the church doors.

"Please help, somebody help us!"

Everyone at the table look on with concern as Rena and Julian run to his side.

"Looks like he is pretty badly wounded Rena."

"Tell me what happened sir."

Rena looks at Julian with a worried look as she gets her mend staff out to heal the man.

The man looks around with hysteria in his eyes. It is as though he cannot see them.

"The village was attacked and they sent me and two others to get help. They killed the other two and tried to kill me too, they thought I was dead. Please you have to help them. There are at least twenty bandits."

"Julian do you think you could gather all our men and head out to save the village?"

"Yes, but what about you?"

"I will stay here and tend to this man."

Julian and the other men left for the village. Rena looked on with worry as they headed off. After the first day no one returns and Rena starts to get even more worried. Two days pass and no one has come back. Rena is terrified that something bad has happened. She lie there in her bed wondering about what has happened. She drifted off to sleep with Julian on her mind. A tear slowly trickles down her cheek.

Her door suddenly opens and sister Mary is standing there. "Rena get up, hurry we must gather everyone and get out of here."

"What is going on sister Mary?" Rena gets up and wipes her face of the tears.

"The bandits are in the town and they are looking for a sister with red hair like the sun."

"Oh no, that means...Julian!"

Sister Mary grabs her arm and leads her to the children's room.

"Come wake up kids we need to get out of here."

Melissa wakes up and rubs her eyes. "What is going on Rena?"

"Don't be afraid Melissa just wake the other children." They hear loud knocks at the church front door. Sister Mary runs out of the room into the darkness.

"Don't open that door!"

It was too late the bishop opened the door and a bandit stabs him through the chest.

"Nooo!!" Mary cries as she witnesses the cold-blooded murder of her friend.

The bandit looked up at her and she runs toward the room.

"Everyone hurry we need to run!"

Mary runs into the room and blocks it with one of the beds with the help of Rena.

"What is going on Mary?"

"Bishop Peter is dead. We have to get the children out of here and to the safety of the next town. There is a secret passage behind that bookcase. Take the children and go. It doesn't lead outside, but it leads to the sanctuary. You can hide in the passage way until it is safe to come out."

"But sister, what about you?"

"I will be fine Rena, just be safe. Hurry go!"

Rena and the children go through the passage. Sister Mary shuts the passage and locks it with her cross necklace. The bandit breaks the door down. Mary stares him in the eye not fearing death. He eventually cuts his way in.

"Where is the maiden with hair like flames?"

Mary doesn't say a word. He grabs her by the neck "Tell me where she is now!" Mary is prepared to die for a cause. She loved bishop Peter and without him she has no reason to live.

"Oh Lord, I pray they make it safely and that I will be with you soon."

Halfway through the tunnel they hear Mary's scream. Rena starts to cry. Mary was her closest friend at the church.

"Oh Mary, why? Why couldn't you come with us?"

Rena hears footsteps ahead of them. It is pitch black so she can't see anything. She wispers to the kids.

"Children get down and don't make a sound. Melissa, stay here with them and don't come after me."

Rena goes around the corner. She sees candle light and a shadowy figure holding it. It comes closer and closer until she sees that it is just brother Matthew.

"Oh Matthew it is just you. We are trying to get out of here. I have the kids with me."

She takes him back to get the kids.

"Rena, I was trying to escape this way but it looks like it is hopeless."

"We can't give up now Matthew we have to get out of here. Let's go back your way."

The group walked slowly and quietly towards where Matthew came from. They came upon the door to the sanctuary and Rena cracks it open to look. What she sees is horrible. Many of her fellow sisters and brothers are dead scattered around the sanctuary.

"No one seems to be out there I think we can make it out."

Rena opens the door and starts to lead the kids out. All the kids make it outside the church. Just when Rena starts to walk out someone grabs her by the hair and drags her back into the church.

"Ahhh! Matthew!"

Matthew tells the children to run and hide and then runs in after her.

He runs in to see one of the bandits with a sword to Rena's neck.

"Let her go!"

"Haha what are you going to do kid? You can't do anything if I got your girl."

"Please Matthew just get help. Don't risk your life for me." The man draws a little blood from her neck.

(Oh please God give me strength and forgive me for what I am about to do.)

"What do you want with her? Please just let her go!"

Rena mouthes to Matthew to keep him busy. She slowly reaches for a dagger she always keeps in case of an emergency.

She pulls it out and looks at Matthew. He nods and gets ready.

Rena stabs him in the arm that is holding her and he screams in agony.

Matthew rushes the bandit and Rena runs for the door.

The bandit throws Matthew off and shouts "I wouldn't leave unless you want poor Melissa and the kids to die."

Rena froze. "What did you say?"

"I wouldn't leave if you want to see them alive again."

"They just escaped, you couldn't have them."

"Haha, bring them in boys."

A group of bandits bring in Melissa and the children and four bandits also bring a group of sisters and a few friars.

"I'm sorry Rena, I tried to get away."

"It is all right Melissa, you did your best."

"Aww Melissa it is all right you did your best. Blah! You sisters make me sick. Come quietly and they will live."

"Ok, but only if they are released first."

The bandits release them and Rena walks toward the leader of the bandits.

Matthew gets mad and charges one of the bandits.

"No Matthew! Stay back!"

A bandit sidesteps and decapitates him. The blood goes all over Rena and the head rolls right next to Melissa.

"Stupid boy."

The room erupts in hysteria. Everyone starts to run and scream. While everyone is distracted Rena grabs Melissa's arm and runs. The bandit notices and knocks Rena down. Melissa looks back to Rena.

"Go Melissa! Just run! Get the kids and run!"

She does as she is told and escapes. The bandits are slashing people and they are fighting back too.

Rena kicks the man in the face to get him off and searches for a weapon she could use. She sees broken glass on the floor. She picks a shard up and turns around to see the man ready to swing his sword. She dodges and gouges out his eyes.

"Ahhhh! My eyes!"

Rena takes this opportunity to crawl under a pew and hide. She listens as everyone in the room is slaughtered. After everyone is dead they start to search for her.

"Where is the red head? That is the one he wants."

"I don't care what you do! Just find that girl!"

**End Flashback**

Rena has decided to crawl slowly past each pew to the exit.

"If I could just make it out I would be safe."

She starts crawling slowly and she is so determined to make it out that she didn't see the shattered glass on the floor. Her knee cracks a shard of glass. One of the bandits hears it and runs in her direction. She stands up and runs. It seems like she is in slow motion. "Almost there Rena, come on!" A bandit pops up from behind the last pew she tries to slow down and turn, but he hits her with his elbow. The room spins and she blacks out.

**Garnef's Domain**

She wakes up and her head is pounding.

"Where am I?" She notices that she is in a glass chamber with barely any room to move. She looks to her right and sees three other girls in glass chambers too.

Rena panics and starts banging on the glass.

"Julian! Help me! Is anyone there? Help me!"

Garnef walks up to the glass and smiles.

"It is you!"

"It is all right Rena soon you won't remember anything and your pain and suffering will end."

She drops to her knees and starts to scream.

**In a far away town**

Julian wakes up in bandages to Melissa beside his bed.

"Oh Julian you are all right. Thank goodness."

Julian springs up and winces from the pain "Where is Rena!"

Melissa looks at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm afraid she has been taken. Those men weren't ordinary bandits, they were sent to destroy the village next to ours so the men of this town would leave. We were vulnerable and their plan succeeded."

"We have to save Rena! It is my fault she is gone."

"I will do anything you ask Julian just tell me what to do."

"We must get help. We can't do this alone. I think we can ask Lord Marth." Melissa lays Julian back down. "Just rest for now, when you are healed we will leave for Aritia."

Melissa looks out the window at the rain. The rain always calmed her, but not today. She only had one thing on her mind and that was to save Rena.


End file.
